‘People aren’t talking about it’: Domestic violence the most common call for Winnipeg police

Domestic violence is an issue hidden inside the homes of families across the province.

In a year that’s so far seen 39 homicides in Winnipeg, police say two of those deaths were related to domestic violence.

In the first case Karen Jane Letniak was found dead in an Elmwood home in mid-October after police were called to a domestic incident.

Cody Don Saunders, 26, has been charged with second degree murder in connection with Letniak’s death.

The second case — the stabbing death of three-year-old Hunter Haze Straight Smith — shocked the city last week.

The man charged in that case was in an on-again-off-again relationship with the toddler’s mother, according to police.

Daniel Jensen, 33, was arrested last week and is also charged with an earlier assault on the young child’s mother as well as two additional assaults in July.

Court documents show he was not supposed to go within 200 meters of her or contact her.

0:27 Toddler stabbed in Winnipeg has died, family says

In the Winnipeg Police Service’s latest annual report, data shows domestic violence is again the number one call police are getting.

Last year, police were called to 16,873 domestic events that lead to 2,158 people being charged.

Those numbers have remained fairly consistent. In 2017 the police were called to 16,332 domestic violence calls, 16,104 in 2016 and 15,055 in 2015.

The data also shows officers in each district are being called to these types of scenes across the city.

Mary Lobson, executive director of Ending Violence Across Manitoba says it can be hard to tell when things are going to become deadly.

“There are risk factors, there are danger assessments that might enable us to have some ability to predict an outcome like this,” she said.

“We could look at situations that appear higher risk or not but often we don’t know what’s going on with people behind closed doors.

“People aren’t talking about it and men who use violence often try to isolate their victim so they’re not connecting with other people.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "People aren't talking about it and men who use violence often try to isolate their victim so they're not connecting with other people."

Willow Place, a domestic violence shelter in Winnipeg says these are some red flags that you may be in an abusive relationship:

• Makes me feel afraid
• Is possessive
• Is always “checking up” on me
• Is sexually demanding
• Teases, bullies and puts me down
• Gets violent, loses temper quickly
• Tries to control me
• Keeps me from seeing my friends and family
• Makes all the decisions
• Hits me
• Takes my money and other things
• Always blames me
• Threatens to leave if I don’t do what I’m told

0:39 What exactly is domestic violence?